GUILD

of BRITISH
COLUMBIA

eel
NEWSLETTER

q bc potters

March 2002

Volume 38 Number 3

Laura Wee Way Lag
Presenter at the Canadian Clay Symposium March 23

Wee Lay Lag’s personal statement begins with “Just as I take from the earth so must! give back.” Laura's
reverence for the earth is reflected in her handbuilt, burnished and sawdust fired vessels.

Wee Lay Lag specializes in handbuilding (pinching,
coiling, paddling) and primitive firing techniques
(sawdust firing, wood fire Raku, and open pit firing).
While attending the Vancouver School of Art (now
Emily Carr Institute of Ant and Design), she began to
research indigenous people's pottery. Out of her
love for the findings, she started working on a book
in 1977 tithe Comparisons of Indigenous Peoples
Pottery: A Traditional and Contemporary Per-
spective. Por ber research she has travelled to East-
em Canada, United States, Mexico, Japan, China,
Thailand, Australia and Europe (Britain, France,
Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece). Wee Lay Lag is
self-sponsored and has conducted workshops and
held exhibits in several of these locations.

Laura Wee Lay Laq Ola #560 2001, h: 26.7 x w: 38,1 x d: 38.1,
Photo Credit: Trewor Mills

During 1990, Wee Lay Laq’s Hawk Olla was
selected by the Museum of Anthropology, Univer-
sity of British Columbia, for its special permanent
ceramic collection in the Koemer Ceramic Gallery.
It was chosen as an excellent example to represent
contemporary pottery making. The Museum had to
begin a whole new numbering section for her work,
because she was the first living ceramist to be
collected by the Museum.

In 1991, she was one of three Canadian visual
artists selected by the Prime Minister of Canada’s
office to represent Canada in China during Festival
91, held in Hong Kong. It was at this time that one
of ber handbuilt burnished and sawdust fired ves-
sels that she donated to the Cana-
dian Chamberof Commerce in Hong
Kong was auctioned for a record
$11,000 Canadian dollars.

Laura has developed a
strong sense of form
years of involvement
with clay and fire.

Durning 1992 Wee Lay Lag was in-
Vited by the University of Calabria
in Southern Italy to teach her
handbailding. burmishing and primi-
tive firing techniques. During her
visit, the township of Cosenza
brought out all of their traditional
vessels and displayed them for her
in the local community centre. Re-
alizing the strong ceramic history in
his area, the mayor stated to the

see Louvre Wee Lay Leg page